International Space Station (Updates)

[Draggendrop Veteran]

three weeks later after everyone has dispersed and the field has settled down.........

 

 

2 extra shots...hard landing...

 

 

back home...

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Samantha Cristoforetti shows us where sleep quarters are...........We will miss her (On the ground now)...fun person.....

 

[DocM]

She's got a Capt. Janeway fan thing going. How she dressed when grappling Dragon CRS-6

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Now that's brain's with a good sense of humour...they will miss her...put's fun into life...   

[_neutrino Veteran]

yeah Sam is awesome. If you look on the ESA youtube page she has posted a lot of videos and they recently also did a 3D tour of the Columbus Module.

 

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/International_Space_Station/Highlights/International_Space_Station_panoramic_tour

 

That is the link to the 3D tour of the Columbus Module. You can click on the Red Circles on it to get more information and even links to a few of Sam's Videos.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Today's news.......

 

This video is of the departure of the capsule...it actually shows how the docking adapter works and shows the separation......good video...

 

Expedition 43 welcomed home....

 

And it would't be a good day unless I posted something..........different.........."SpaceSquatch"..............

 

 

http://www.space.com/29658-astronaut-statues-invade-seattle-museum-art.html

 

 

 

[Arachno 1D]

Ah right I understand more now how the latch system works I always wondered how they removed the spike [if I might call it that] used to latch onto the station

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Ah right I understand more now how the latch system works I always wondered how they removed the spike [if I might call it that] used to latch onto the station

Pretty neat eh!......cheers

[Draggendrop Veteran]

The Bigelow expandable module will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 to the ISS this year..TBA......So here is a bit of info on the unit....

 

Video showing design and use...

 

Picture of packed unit for launch...

 

Prototype space station....

 

and an infographic......

 

http://spaceref.biz/company/bigelow/2015-could-be-a-milestone-year-for-bigelow-aerospace.html

 

http://www.space.com/28855-inflatable-space-station-habitat-bigelow.html

 

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2015/03/12/54848/

 

[DocM]

BEAM goes up on CRS-8, currently scheduled for September 2.

BEAM 2 will be equipped for use as an EVA airlock on Bigelow's Alpha Station propulsion/docking module. Prop/docking module at left in the photo & BEAM 2 in the patent drawing at the bottom. BEAM 2 is already under construction.

[Arachno 1D]

Is there much difference in landing force of the Russian technique of solid ground with boosters versus the US water and parachute type and whats the advantage and disadvantages of both?

[FloatingFatMan]

What happens with these inflatable modules if they get pierced by micro-metrorites or debris?

[DocM]

Is there much difference in landing force of the Russian technique of solid ground with boosters versus the US water and parachute type and whats the advantage and disadvantages of both?

It depends on the spacecraft.

The Soyuz single parachute landing comes down at about 7.2 m/s then the solids fire for a 1.5 m/s touchdown, but on some flights the solid landing rockets have failed resulting in a hard landing and injuries. Astronauts have described this as like being in a car crash.

Soyuz then falls over on its side, or rolls down a hill, but the real excitement has come when it has overshot the landing zone and gone into a body of water. Soyuz 23 landed on a frozen lake, which . didn't go particularly well. The parachute filled with water, causing the escape hatch to be submerged. They weren't found until the next day.

A nominal US Orion water splashdown is at 7.6 m/s, and at worst about 11 m/s with only 2 parachutes open. The harnesses holds the spacecraft so the lower edge slices into the water for a much softer splashdown.

Dragon 2's 3 parschute water splashdown is at 4.9 m/s, a lot gentler, and it too lands lower edge first to further soften the solashdown.

Dragon 2's Soyuz-style 3 parachute landing fires the SuperDraco liquid thrusters at about 10 meters, then it comes to a near hover before gently settling on its 4 legs. Like a helicopter.

Full propulsive Dragon 2 landings (no parachutes) would start the SuperDracos at about 7,000 feet at low throttle and decelerate to also do a helicopter style landing.

If the SuprrDraco engines don't fire properly at 7,000 feet the parachutes are a backup and Dragon 2 can do a land touchdown without them. It would come down on the rear legs first then settle on the front legs.

Yup. Dragon 2 has four landing modes.

[DocM]

What happens with these inflatable modules if they get pierced by micro-metrorites or debris?

They're actually expandable rather than inflatable. Inflatable hints at a balloon which they really aren't. The Bigelow station modules have a wall thickness of .4 to .45 meter and they have a metal core.

NASA tests proposed ISS module designs by firing up to a 17 mm metal sphere at them at a velocity of 7,000 m/s (15,600 mph) using their (totally outrageous) Hypervelocity Gun.

Your typical ISS module wall ends up with an 8-10 cm hole blasted through most of its metal & fabric layers, usually stopping at the last layer.

The Bigelow module wall stopped the projectile cold in its outer layers, and it remained airtight. They kept trying but ended up breaking not the module wall but the Hypervelocity Gun.

[FloatingFatMan]

Very nice indeed!

[DocM]

Better yet, because its mostly hydrogen-rich polymers the structure is a good radiation shield. For the DS (deep space) versions they can add water layers to enhance the shield. Add a boron compound to the water layers and it's a good neutron shield too.

[Blue-Vision]

Ahhh ... SpaceX and Bigelow. 80% of the NewSpace Revolution between those two companies alone.

[DocM]

And they signed a cooperation agreement in 2012. IMO, once BEAM is on its way that may be the cause a new conversation.

[DocM]

So much for a smooth Soyuz landing....

http://www.spacedaily.com/m/reports/Hard_landing_as_three_astronauts_return_to_Earth_from_ISS_999.html

'Hard landing' as three astronauts return to Earth from ISS

By Anna SMOLCHENKO

Moscow (AFP) June 11, 2015

>

Both Russian mission control and NASA reported no glitches, but Shkaplerov, the commander of the Soyuz spacecraft, said their landing was "hard and quick."

"For some reason, we were spinning," he said in comments broadcast on national television and cited by Russian journalists. No other details were provided.

The 43-year-old cosmonaut added however that "everything worked accurately."

>

[Draggendrop Veteran]

DocM...you are right...check out the pictures I posted...one was a bad flare...the other was a very large dust cloud...if it wasn't for the form fitting seats, someone may have had a back injury.....Cheers..

 

Found it...

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

We have talked about space junk, micro meteoroids, frozen loose materials but not asteroids. Well, they are not really an issue yet due to the low earth orbit but we do have the occasional shower, about a dozen a year, a lot of which are predictable and if an issue arises, the station can lower or raise position. Drills are held for such an event with spare oxygen tanks, and a getaway vehicle if needed. The ISS is the size of a football field with solar panels of approximately one acre. This would be more likely, by area, than the station itself, which has a small cross section. But...stuff happens....

 

While talking about flying large rocks...we have asteroids of many sizes and some traveling at amazing speeds...some are deemed near earth objects that need attention....NASA has an updated list so you can see what disaster is in the making.......(joking...I think...you decide)

 

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/

 

Asteroid naming conventions....There are strict rules on naming. Once one is found, it is given a place holder number and the red tape begins...they generally require standard for the naming but you can put in suggestions...general rules....

 

 

 

When an asteroid is first discovered, it is given a provisional designation like "1999 RQ36."  The first four digits tell you what year it was discovered.  The last four characters tell you when in that year it was discovered. 1999 RQ36 was the 916th object observed in the first half of September, 1999.

Once the asteroid's orbit is precisely known, it is issued an official sequential number.  1999 RQ36 was the 101,955th asteroid to receive a number, so it is now formally known as 101955. Only about 5% of numbered asteroids have been given names.

When asteroids are discovered, they are initially named with numbers and letters encoding when they were first spotted.  The Minor Planet Center at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory gives them these alphanumeric codes.

The asteroid's discoverer can propose to the International Astronomical Union to give the asteroid a formal name.  The International Astronomical Union has established rules to guide the selection of names for objects located in different parts of the solar system.  Here are the guidelines for naming (101955) 1999 RQ36:

Proposed names must be:

no more than 16 characters long (including any spaces or punctuation);
preferably one word;
pronounceable (in some language);
written using Latin characters (transliterations of names from languages not written using Latin characters are acceptable);
non-offensive;
not identical with or even too similar to an existing name of a minor planet or natural planetary satellite.
In addition, because (101955) 1999 RQ36 is a near-Earth object, its name should be from mythology, but the name should not be one associated with creation or underworld themes because those themes are used for other types of bodies in the solar system. The mythological name can come from any culture from any part of the world. In very rare cases, this definition has been stretched to include fictional mythological characters. There are some exceptions to these rules, and entries of names that are not mythological will not be disqualified. However, the International Astronomical Union is likelier to approve a name that is from mythology than one that is not.

http://www.planetary.org/get-involved/contests/osirisrex/guidelines.html

 

The reason I chose this topic was because of a very special naming.....

 

 

 

The legacy of Leonard Nimoy has reached the Final Frontier: on June 2, a 6-mile-wide (9.6 km) asteroid was named 4864 Nimoy in his honor. The asteroid travels within the main asteroid belt

[Blue-Vision]

DocM...you are right...check out the pictures I posted...one was a bad flare...the other was a very large dust cloud...if it wasn't for the form fitting seats, someone may have had a back injury.....Cheers..

 

Found it...

TMA15M.jpg

 

So much for a smooth Soyuz landing....

http://www.spacedaily.com/m/reports/Hard_landing_as_three_astronauts_return_to_Earth_from_ISS_999.html

 

Wow. Hard landing indeed ... glad they're all okay. Spinning and a hard landing indicates they came in a little hot .. not something you want on a ground-based capsule landing that isn't using much in the way of impact absorption.

 

I've been a big fan of Soyuz over the years, but I'm starting to rethink my position. Yikes. Too many problems lately.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Which is why the Commercial Crew Program is so important. So much has come out of it for relatively low cost as compared to other programs. This is why it is so easy to pick out the "corruptables in the House and Senate". Common sense will dictate and we know what will happen when a "death" occurs due to short sightedness.....Cheers......

[Blue-Vision]

I think even if the CCP gets blown out, SpaceX will continue on. It's not like they need the permission of the U.S. Government, or (really) the money anymore. Not with the success they've already had. Dragon 2 is almost ready for flight, and the hard parts in its' Dev Cycle are finished. They'll have plenty of customers, including the U.S. Government if everything goes to plan.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

I think even if the CCP gets blown out, SpaceX will continue on. It's not like they need the permission of the U.S. Government, or (really) the money anymore. Not with the success they've already had. Dragon 2 is almost ready for flight, and the hard parts in its' Dev Cycle are finished. They'll have plenty of customers, including the U.S. Government if everything goes to plan.

In fact, they have so much commercial work out there to pay the bills, it almost seems like they are the ones helping others right now. As Elon has said in the past, before the onslaught of work...That SpaceX would continue at a slower pace if necessary, but would continue.....Which is why I really hope they put it up on their own shortly and 'buzz" the station with a photo op.....basically tells Boeing .....The new kids are in town, and there not going away!